Tips for creating an Edinburgh Fringe show?
March 1, 2020 2:47 PM Subscribe
I'm starting to consider producing a simple show at the 2021 Edinburgh Fringe. Does anyone have tips or hard-won knowledge on venues, publicity, lodging, free vs, ticket pricing, etc. etc.? And do you think US fringe festivals are a good introduction, or are they just too different to help?
I'm reading all the books on the festival, looking at websites, and plan to attend this year. My concept is a simple improv game show that I've done before, which seems to work pretty well, and can use a wide range of panelists (comedians, poets, general wits). Fringe staff has already told me (in email) that the concept is new, or at least they've never heard of it.
Budgeting is a particular concern. From what I've read, it sounds like one should plan to lose about £10,000 to be realistic? Thanks in advance!
I'm reading all the books on the festival, looking at websites, and plan to attend this year. My concept is a simple improv game show that I've done before, which seems to work pretty well, and can use a wide range of panelists (comedians, poets, general wits). Fringe staff has already told me (in email) that the concept is new, or at least they've never heard of it.
Budgeting is a particular concern. From what I've read, it sounds like one should plan to lose about £10,000 to be realistic? Thanks in advance!
I can't help with detailed producing knowledge (performed in one Fringe show, but didn't produce it, have lived here for many years as had the entire cast, so no accommodation issues for us) but if you come up this year, the Fringe holds workshops during the event with advice on putting on shows - keep an eye on the website when all the Fringe listings go online and get yourself booked in (I'm assuming you've seen all their online resources).
In terms of going to US fringe festivals as an introduction, I think the one thing that's probably impossible to get your head around anywhere else is the sheer size of the Edinburgh Fringe. There are 3,500 different shows on here in August (not performances - individual shows) so it's an absolute bear pit trying to get an audience.
Monkey Barrel is the place here I most associate with improv so you could drop them a line and find out how they select their Fringe line-up. Though the year-round venue ecology is a different beast to the August one, so their line-up might be different in Fringe time. TBC Improv are the local improv guys and have shows on most days through August so you could drop them a line if you're coming to town this year, buy them lots of drinks and pick their brains.
Accommodation is also insane - prices are inflated through the roof through August all over the city. You could look at staying somewhere that's on a decent train line out of Edinburgh, but Waverley (the main station) really struggled with overcrowding on August nights last year, so there's a danger they'll close it and you'll not get home. And the last trains are about midnight so you'd miss a lot of what I think the Fringe is for comedians ie. staying up all night drinking with other comedians. Lothian Buses are pretty good though, so you could look for places out towards the end of their Nightbus lines (which will also have inflated prices in August but might be slightly less eyewatering than places closer in).
Sorry, that's all a bit discouraging, but hopefully useful! I don't know how anyone brings a show to Edinburgh without emerging both insane and bankrupt, but people seem to do it year after year, so they obviously think it's worth it!
posted by penguin pie at 6:20 PM on March 1, 2020 [6 favorites]
In terms of going to US fringe festivals as an introduction, I think the one thing that's probably impossible to get your head around anywhere else is the sheer size of the Edinburgh Fringe. There are 3,500 different shows on here in August (not performances - individual shows) so it's an absolute bear pit trying to get an audience.
Monkey Barrel is the place here I most associate with improv so you could drop them a line and find out how they select their Fringe line-up. Though the year-round venue ecology is a different beast to the August one, so their line-up might be different in Fringe time. TBC Improv are the local improv guys and have shows on most days through August so you could drop them a line if you're coming to town this year, buy them lots of drinks and pick their brains.
Accommodation is also insane - prices are inflated through the roof through August all over the city. You could look at staying somewhere that's on a decent train line out of Edinburgh, but Waverley (the main station) really struggled with overcrowding on August nights last year, so there's a danger they'll close it and you'll not get home. And the last trains are about midnight so you'd miss a lot of what I think the Fringe is for comedians ie. staying up all night drinking with other comedians. Lothian Buses are pretty good though, so you could look for places out towards the end of their Nightbus lines (which will also have inflated prices in August but might be slightly less eyewatering than places closer in).
Sorry, that's all a bit discouraging, but hopefully useful! I don't know how anyone brings a show to Edinburgh without emerging both insane and bankrupt, but people seem to do it year after year, so they obviously think it's worth it!
posted by penguin pie at 6:20 PM on March 1, 2020 [6 favorites]
I would echo what penguin pie said. I am also a Fringe performer; give me a PM if you would like me to ask my producer if he'd be willing to get in touch with you. We're also locals so he probably couldn't advise on accommodation, but might be helpful in terms of venues, publicity, pricing, etc.
The Fringe itself offers a lot of helpful tips and guides for people in your situation, including estimated costs etc.; check the section of their website geared towards performers and producers if you haven't already.
Edinburgh Fringe is like NOTHING else. U.S. Fringe shows will not really prepare you for it. The scale is astronomically different.
posted by kyrademon at 3:06 AM on March 2, 2020 [2 favorites]
The Fringe itself offers a lot of helpful tips and guides for people in your situation, including estimated costs etc.; check the section of their website geared towards performers and producers if you haven't already.
Edinburgh Fringe is like NOTHING else. U.S. Fringe shows will not really prepare you for it. The scale is astronomically different.
posted by kyrademon at 3:06 AM on March 2, 2020 [2 favorites]
It's been a while since I actually put on any shows at the Fringe (18 years, eek!) but we lost money for sure despite the red-bull-soaked manic haze that I remember. I was involved in production and tech stuff rather than acting, but if you can get people in the door and get some buzz going you can do well. I'm sure the advice above will be more up to date.
nthing the advice on accomodation - it's gotten crazy here and it might be worth looking into in advance to see if your budget can take it. I would agree that it's best to try and stay in Edinburgh or nearby as train connections are not always reliable whereas the bus network generally runs consistently. But seriously, Edinburgh is having huge issues with airbnb and short-term lets, and prices are crazy during the festival - when my partner was on sabbatical we were told our apartment (nice, but only 1 bedroom, and about half an hour from the centre) would rent for around £3000 a week(!!!!!!).
There is also 'the free fringe' where payment from the audience is optional - I'm told this can work quite well for comedy and is slightly cheaper in terms of hiring a venue? Some big names (i.e. Janey Godley) have gone down this route and it seems to be working. Again, I am sure those who have done this more recently will have good advice.
If you have any questions about particular neighbourhoods let me know - and feel free to drop me a line when you are here this year. Good luck!
posted by sedimentary_deer at 4:14 AM on March 2, 2020 [1 favorite]
nthing the advice on accomodation - it's gotten crazy here and it might be worth looking into in advance to see if your budget can take it. I would agree that it's best to try and stay in Edinburgh or nearby as train connections are not always reliable whereas the bus network generally runs consistently. But seriously, Edinburgh is having huge issues with airbnb and short-term lets, and prices are crazy during the festival - when my partner was on sabbatical we were told our apartment (nice, but only 1 bedroom, and about half an hour from the centre) would rent for around £3000 a week(!!!!!!).
There is also 'the free fringe' where payment from the audience is optional - I'm told this can work quite well for comedy and is slightly cheaper in terms of hiring a venue? Some big names (i.e. Janey Godley) have gone down this route and it seems to be working. Again, I am sure those who have done this more recently will have good advice.
If you have any questions about particular neighbourhoods let me know - and feel free to drop me a line when you are here this year. Good luck!
posted by sedimentary_deer at 4:14 AM on March 2, 2020 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: As a reference for anyone looking up this question in the future, here are some useful resources I've found so far:
-- "The Edinburgh Fringe Survival Guide" a book by Mark Fisher (the Guardian's Fringe reviewer)
-- to expand on Penguin Pie's point about the Fringe's onine resources, here are a couple.
The "road shows" they do each year are available as podcasts on YouTube (here is the 2019 run).
Also, as Fisher's book recommends, the Fringe staff is readily available by email and very helpful. The Participant Projects Director recommended that I could answer a lot of my questions by studying the recent programs and looking for similar shows. " 2019’s programme is here, 2018’s programme is here and 2017’s programme is here."
posted by msalt at 11:56 AM on March 2, 2020
-- "The Edinburgh Fringe Survival Guide" a book by Mark Fisher (the Guardian's Fringe reviewer)
-- to expand on Penguin Pie's point about the Fringe's onine resources, here are a couple.
The "road shows" they do each year are available as podcasts on YouTube (here is the 2019 run).
Also, as Fisher's book recommends, the Fringe staff is readily available by email and very helpful. The Participant Projects Director recommended that I could answer a lot of my questions by studying the recent programs and looking for similar shows. " 2019’s programme is here, 2018’s programme is here and 2017’s programme is here."
posted by msalt at 11:56 AM on March 2, 2020
While North American fringes (the Canadian ones are oft bigger than the US ones) are definitely smaller than Edinburgh, there are still fundamental skills that I think might transfer; primarily the hustle -- working crowds, trying to convince people to see your show in a brief conversation -- and secondarily just the act of putting on a show away from your home market, in terms of logistics, jokes that don't travel, indifferent crowds and the like. If you get a good media quote or a five star review, that would be helpful (although not as helpful as UK media, obviously.)
The bigger Canadian Fringes - Edmonton and Winnipeg in particular with Toronto, Vancouver, Montreal and Ottawa next (roughly in that order) are probably your best bet for similarity. Orlando, I think is the biggest one in the US. Unfortunately, the lottery deadlines are in the fall, so you've missed 2020, and the season overlaps with Edinburgh so you wouldn't be able to do many of the western fringes in 2021 (the circuit goes east to west). But I'd definitely think about applying for a few lotteries next fall. There's a billeting culture around Canadian Fringes, so they don't need to cost a lot more than your transportation costs.
posted by Homeboy Trouble at 8:28 AM on March 3, 2020 [1 favorite]
The bigger Canadian Fringes - Edmonton and Winnipeg in particular with Toronto, Vancouver, Montreal and Ottawa next (roughly in that order) are probably your best bet for similarity. Orlando, I think is the biggest one in the US. Unfortunately, the lottery deadlines are in the fall, so you've missed 2020, and the season overlaps with Edinburgh so you wouldn't be able to do many of the western fringes in 2021 (the circuit goes east to west). But I'd definitely think about applying for a few lotteries next fall. There's a billeting culture around Canadian Fringes, so they don't need to cost a lot more than your transportation costs.
posted by Homeboy Trouble at 8:28 AM on March 3, 2020 [1 favorite]
I performed in the Edinburgh Fringe as part of a school program, so much of the logistics were prepared in advance. We were housed in dormitories which were pretty basic but felt lucky because so many people had to scrape together their own places to stay. But I was able to see a ton of shows, good bad and ugly. I have also performed in a couple US Fringe shows.
US Fringes are imo a good introduction to the basics because the format, timing, and set-up/tear-down requirements are so specific to Fringe. Fringe performances have a wiiiiiide rage of quality, and to me when one doesn't work well it often reflects a failure to consider the time and format restrictions, and to rework performance and staging accordingly. If you can't perform in a US Fringe before going, at a minimum I recommend you attend one and see as many shows as you can. Watch with a critical eye and consider what works for the time frame/venue. Then imagine those same shows in a venue that is smaller/larger/louder/darker/in the round/outdoors and consider how you would change them.
US Fringes also can teach you about fundraising, advertising, and cajoling people into attending. You really need to bring your busking A-game if you want to sell tickets and it is a CHALLENGE if you have ever doubted yourself, or have modicum of human dignity. Edinburgh Fringe is the Olympics of charisma, humiliation, and salesmanship.
My only other advice is to have a web presence and to get positive press early because most theater goers are reading reviews and guides to help them sort wheat from chaff.
posted by BusyBusyBusy at 2:26 PM on March 6, 2020 [1 favorite]
US Fringes are imo a good introduction to the basics because the format, timing, and set-up/tear-down requirements are so specific to Fringe. Fringe performances have a wiiiiiide rage of quality, and to me when one doesn't work well it often reflects a failure to consider the time and format restrictions, and to rework performance and staging accordingly. If you can't perform in a US Fringe before going, at a minimum I recommend you attend one and see as many shows as you can. Watch with a critical eye and consider what works for the time frame/venue. Then imagine those same shows in a venue that is smaller/larger/louder/darker/in the round/outdoors and consider how you would change them.
US Fringes also can teach you about fundraising, advertising, and cajoling people into attending. You really need to bring your busking A-game if you want to sell tickets and it is a CHALLENGE if you have ever doubted yourself, or have modicum of human dignity. Edinburgh Fringe is the Olympics of charisma, humiliation, and salesmanship.
My only other advice is to have a web presence and to get positive press early because most theater goers are reading reviews and guides to help them sort wheat from chaff.
posted by BusyBusyBusy at 2:26 PM on March 6, 2020 [1 favorite]
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